


The Arrival

by Ava_now



Series: Barisi Dads AU--The Tween Years [1]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Angst and Feels, M/M, Tweens, bra-shopping, family support, healthy coparenting, marriage separation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:59:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27570403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ava_now/pseuds/Ava_now
Summary: Ten year old Marley is trying to navigate the world of being a tween.  Her dads have recently separated but nobody will really tell her why--all she knows is what she saw and heard when they had The Fight--and she misses their family how it used to be.  In the meantime, though, Auntie Bella notices she's not a little girl anymore...and somebody has to get tasked with taking the girl shopping.  Will this developmental milestone be embarrassing, annoying, horrific, exciting, or what?
Relationships: Rafael Barba & Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Series: Barisi Dads AU--The Tween Years [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2015269
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	The Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the start of Barisi Dads AU--The Tween Years!
> 
> Over time, several people have asked me to write Marlene as an older child. I've hesitated because I truly am in love with her as a young child. But she and I have been getting to know each other the last couple days (haha!) and I think it's gonna turn out fine. 
> 
> Please note that this particular fic does talk a little about marriage separation, and it also talks a little about Marlene's physical development. I have tried to keep that aspect relatively nondescript. However, if this is something that you might find disturbing, please be aware. And if you are someone who might turn it into something disturbing, don't read it. It's not for you.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are so helpful and I truly appreciate them! Enjoy!

“Marley! Don’t go too far!” Sonny called to his ten-year old as she and her cousin ran further away in the park.

She spun around and gave him a thumbs up, then tapped Rosie on the shoulder and said something. The two girls moved a little closer toward their parents before settling on a swing set not quite as far away.

“How’s she doing?” Bella asked Sonny, patting his knee. “How are you doing?”

He sighed and forced a smile. “We’re okay. It’s lonely. I think the hardest part right now is sharing her...you know, working out a schedule where she gets to keep doing everything she enjoys, and we both get to see her. I mean, you know Rafael; he’s always wanted MORE time with her. Sometimes I think it’s too much, that they’re too close. Then I think I’m being selfish. I don’t know, Bella. Maybe I’m jealous of their relationship. That’s what Rafael thinks--”

“Did he say that to you?” Bella’s eyes went wide.

“In so many words. Then again, that was at the tail end of another argument about who got her on Friday night.”

“Well, he can’t expect to have her all the time,” Bella said. “He has her all week, except Wednesdays. How does he figure you shouldn’t have her on Friday?”

“It was more this Friday...something going on at his mom’s school that he thought she would like. He wanted to take her and then drop her off at my place around ten. There’s no point in that, because she’s half asleep by then. I told him that. I know it sucks, that he can’t take her to do everything he wants to do all the time, but I don’t get to either. That’s just life when you’ve split up.”

They were silent for a minute before Bella turned to him. “You don’t think this is for good, do you?”

Sonny sighed, his eyes on his daughter before closing them. “I hope not. But I just don’t know.” He bit his tongue and didn’t say any more. The last thing he needed was his entire family knowing what had happened.

“Hey Momma? Can me an’ Marley get a sno-cone? We’re thirsty!” Rosie asked Bella, hopping foot to foot in front of her. Marley ran up and tagged her back.

“I’ve got it, Bells.” Sonny reached into his wallet and pulled out a ten, handing it to Marley. “Bring me the change, okay, Marley Mae?” She nodded, and she and Rosie ran off again to the sno-cone vendor.

“I hate to break it to you, dear brother, but your daughter needs her first bra,” Bella told him. “She’s not a baby anymore, and her little girls are growing in.”

“Oh God, Bells, do ya HAVE to say it like that? Jesus!” Sonny held a hand over his face.

“Well, are you and Rafi blind? The girl’s going to have to lose her balance because of those things before you two do anything! Please tell me somebody’s talked to her about getting her period...that could happen anytime too, y’know. She’s not a baby. A couple girls in Rosie’s dance class got it, and they’re Marley’s age--”

“That seems awfully early,” Sonny replied doubtfully. “Ten? How old were you? Not to be gross or nothin’...”

Bella rolled her eyes. “Older than ten, true. But they say kids are hitting puberty earlier and earlier. Y’know, technically, parents are told to expect it anytime between the ages of nine and fourteen. Didn’t her pediatrician go over all this with you guys?”

Sonny shrugged. “Maybe. Rafi took her. I was in court that day.” Had he even bothered to ask? 

Rafael had told him it was more than what had happened with Olivia, that Sonny had been pulling away from his family for a long time. Maybe he was right. “Fine. I’ll mention it to Rafael. I’m sure he can take her soon.”

“Sonny.” Bella turned to face him. “I know it’s hard. But you can’t check out on Marley. It’s just not fair to her. And you’ve said a million times that losing one of you is her worst fear...don’t make it feel true to her.”

He stared into her eyes for several seconds, then leaned over and hugged her. “I won’t, Bells. I promise.”

“We’re all here for you, Sonny...you and Marley, and Rafael too...but you’re my brother, first, and Marley’s my baby niece. With boobies.”

Sonny snuggled his nose into her collar. “I hate you sometimes.”

***

Marley opened the door as soon as it was unlocked. “Hey Papi,” she said casually to her father, who was seated on the couch. She immediately headed toward her room, and Sonny stepped inside and shut the door.

“Have a good weekend?” Rafael asked, putting his laptop down.

“Yeah, it was all right. We spent the afternoon with Bella and Rosie. I think the girls had a good time together.” Sonny stood awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Ah, well. That’s nice. How are they doing?” Rafael hadn’t seen the Sullivans in a few months. Honestly, he missed them. Of all of Sonny’s siblings, Bella and Tommy were the easiest to get along with, and they were fun to be around.

“Good, they’re good,” Sonny replied. “Bella mentioned that she thinks it’s probably time for Marlene to start wearing a bra.”

Rafael raised one eyebrow. “Really? Is there a reason she’s checking out her niece’s breast buds?”

Sonny crossed his arms. “Uh, you make it sound like she’s practicing her pedophilic tendencies. She just noticed Marlene is...developing.”

Rafael stood, shoving his hands in his pockets. “She did...or you did? I think we’re both quite capable of dressing our child appropriately. Unless you feel otherwise…”

Sonny was biting the inside of his cheek, something he found had become a habit over the last six months or so. “Bella mentioned it and I think she has a point. But by all means, Rafael, if you think it’s not time, then we can wait.”

Rafael exhaled heavily through his nose. “I’ll talk with her. Thanks for keeping me...abreast.”

Deciding to try to keep things pleasant, Sonny snorted and chuckled at Rafael’s joke. “Hope you guys have a good week. I’ll have her back on Wednesday by eight.”

Rafael nodded. “Thanks. You have a good week too, Sonny.” He smiled warmly at Sonny, following him to the door and closing it behind him. After locking it, he headed back to Marley’s room. She was lying on her bed, petting Pru and reading.

“Hey there, mija.” He sat down on the edge of the bed. “You have fun with Daddy?”

She shrugged. “Yeah. It was okay.” 

He smiled, then tapped her on the leg. “Whatcha reading? Anything good?”

“It’s called  _ A Little Princess. _ Auntie Bella gave it to me today.”

“That’s nice,” he told her. “What else did you guys do this weekend?”

She shrugged again. “Just hung out. Watched TV and stuff. Daddy went to work for a little while and I got to play Dance Party on the wiiFit while he was gone.”

“Oh yeah?” Rafael knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help himself. “Who stayed with you?”

“Nobody. Daddy says I’m not a baby anymore. Besides, he said Auntie Gina lives down the hall if I need anything. And I know how to be safe, Papi.” She lowered her book. “You should trust me more, like Daddy does.”

Rafael bit his tongue. Hard. “Did you eat any dinner before you came home, or should I make something for both of us?”

“We had pizza with Rosie and Auntie Bella.” She smiled, as though thinking of a happy memory. “We had fun. Rosie and I got sno-cones today too. It was cool, seeing her.”

“I’m so glad.” Rafael patted her arm. “I have a question for you, something your auntie Bella brought up. She thinks you’re old enough for a bra now. Do you think it’s time for you to wear one?”

Marley’s eyes opened larger, then she looked down at her chest for a second. Rafael bit back a smile. “Um...I guess? Some of the other girls wear them.” She hesitated, then said, “I don’t like how people can sometimes see through my shirt. But I don’t know...how big are they s’posed to be when I get one?”

Rafael choked on a laugh. “I honestly don’t know. But if you would like, I can take you on Tuesday after piano. Or if you’d rather, I can call Abby and see if she can take you one afternoon.” Seeing Marley’s face take on a look of horror, he added, “Or I could call Auntie Amanda?”

She nodded and let out a relieved giggle. “Thanks, Papi. I bet Auntie Amanda already took Jesse, so she’ll know exactly what kind to get and stuff. No offense, but I don’t really want a bra like Abby wears.” Hearing him laugh, she added, “I don’t think that would work very well for me...I still got a long way to go!”

Rafael stood up, still chuckling, and ruffled her hair. “You are something else, Marley Mae. Okay, I’m going to get some dinner...do you have any homework to get done?”

She shook her head. “Just my shower. Before eight, right?”

“That’s right. I can see you’re getting your reading done, so it sounds like you’ll have an hour for whatever you’d like, come eight o’clock. Candy crush tonight?”

“Mmhmm. I think so.” He kissed her forehead, then headed toward her door, but paused when he got there. “Hey Marley?”

“Yeah?”

“You know Daddy and I love you so much, right? To the moon and back?” he asked, hoping his face didn’t show the vulnerability he felt inside.

“Uh-huh, forever and always, Papi. I know.” She smiled at him, and he let it assuage him, if just for a little bit.

***

“Hey there, Marley! Climb on in!” Amanda picked Marlene up from the piano center where she took her lessons, right on time. Marley climbed into the front seat and pulled her seatbelt on.

“Hi Auntie ‘Manda. Where’s Billie and Jess?”

“Jesse’s got dance with Noah and Billie is with her dad this week.” Amanda pulled out in traffic, heading toward Target. “Your papi said Target was fine if it was okay with you? Is that okay? I didn’t think you’d want to go to Victoria’s Secret yet!”

Marley laughed, embarrassed. “Auntie ‘Manda, are my...boobs, are they big enough for a bra yet? Jesse has one, right?” She knew Jesse did--she’d shown Marley several months ago. She had also shown her a book about menstruation and her boxes of pads and tampons, even though she hadn’t started yet.

Amanda glanced at her and smiled. “Honey, girls start wearing them at all different sizes. I’d say yes, you are big enough to wear one. You know Jesse started wearing one last year, and I thought there was no way she was big enough. You know her--skinny skinny and flat as a pancake. But believe it or not, they found one for her, and she was thrilled! She’s worn one ever since! She  _ wanted  _ to wear a bra, though. Do you want to wear one? Your dads didn’t tell me.”

Marley looked at her. “You said my dads. You talked to Daddy?”

Amanda sounded surprised. “Uh, yeah! I see him almost every day at work, you know. He knew I was taking you today.” She was quiet for a moment. “Honey, you know your dads still talk, right?”

“Yeah,” Marley lied, looking out the window. Honestly, she didn’t know what they did and didn’t do. Nobody told her anything anymore. All she knew about was The Fight. That’s what she called it in her head, anyway. The one where Papi had cursed and cried, and Daddy had yelled his curse words, and then Papi had thrown his phone at Daddy and it smashed into smithereens against the wall. And Daddy left.

“Marley...did you hear me, honey?” Amanda was looking at her now. She’d parked the car and was turned, facing Marlene, with a look of concern on her face. “I just said, I know things are hard at your house right now. Sometimes adults have trouble working out their problems. But I know, more than anything, that your dads love you immensely, and they also love each other. And their worst fear in the world is that this is hurting you, sweetheart. You’re seeing Amy again, aren’t you? Your old therapist?”

Marley nodded, but looked at her hands. Her fingernails were jagged from biting them. She picked at an edge.

“That’s good. Honey, if you ever need to talk, or even just need a break from home, you can call me, and I’ll come get you as soon as I can, okay? Or we can just talk. Whatever you want.” She reached over and patted Marlene’s shoulder. “When I was your age, my momma and daddy fought all the time. It was very hard to live with, and I felt really angry most of the time.” Amanda pulled her arm back and tilted her head down, hoping to make eye contact. “Is there anything I can do to help, honey? Anything you want or need?”

Her eyes stayed on her hands in her lap when she whispered, “I really just want my daddy back.”

“I know you do, baby.” Amanda reached over and pulled Marley into a hug. “I know you do.”

***

They got home a little before dinner. Amanda dropped her off so she didn’t have to park and could get home to Jesse. Marley ran upstairs, package clutched to her chest, and unlocked the door. Rafael was in the kitchen cooking. “Hey there, princesa! How’d it go?”

She stopped in the middle of the living room, as he stepped around the edge of the half-wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. “Okay? Yeah, we found some. She got me four. I used that money card like you told me to.”

He nodded. “Okay, great.” He reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “Uh, congratulations, sweetheart. You’re growing up, huh?”

She smiled awkwardly. “Uh, yeah, I guess, Papi. Thanks.” She pointed to the hallway. “I’m just gonna go put my stuff away…”

“Sure.” He smiled at her, then headed back into the kitchen and she went to her room and closed the door.

She opened the bag and pulled out one package. Inside was a simple blue bra. Amanda had told her it was a sports bra style. It had lace around the edges. She quickly pulled off her tee shirt, removed the tags from the bra, and put it on. Standing up, she approached her full length mirror slowly. The bra covered her appropriately, and for the first time in ages, nobody would be able to see anything private pressing against her shirt. Grabbing the tee she’d been wearing, she pulled it on and checked again. Finally. Nobody could see anything. 

It stunk to be one of the shortest girls in her class, never mind one of the only ones not wearing a bra yet. She’d been too embarrassed to ask either of her dads about it; just when she’d been about to bring it up a couple months ago, they’d had The Fight and there was no way she was going to say anything then. Thank goodness for Auntie Bella noticing, but at the same time, Marley tried not to think about it. It just meant that some of those boys in her class really  _ were  _ looking at her. If Auntie Bella could see, so could they.

She pulled the tee shirt off again, then the bra, and picked up her favorite one. She hadn’t thought Auntie Manda would let her get it, but she had, and she hadn’t even paused. It was so, so pretty. They had measured her for it, and she was a 28A. It was pink, soft cotton and lace, and had slightly molded cups that made her look like she had actual, well, boobs. She’d wanted real boobs for the last two whole years, and now she almost looked like she had them.

She took off the tags and unhooked it, then put it on the way Auntie Manda had shown her. It took her several tries to fasten it. She almost gave in and asked Papi to help, but just then she was able to get the hooks. Once it was on, she watched herself in the mirror, turning to check out her new profile and giggling softly. She grabbed her shirt again and pulled it on one more time. This time she smiled broadly. She had breasts! They weren’t as big as the ladies she knew, but that was okay--she was still a kid. She looked  _ so cool. _

“Marley! Dinner!” Rafael called just then, and she took a deep breath, then headed to the kitchen.

Rafael had just set the stirfry on the table when he turned around and saw her. She watched his eyebrow raise over his left eye, clearly taking in his daughter’s new look, then sat down in his seat. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted rice, so you can decide,” he said, handing her the small bowl of brown rice.

She put a bit on her plate, then scooped some chicken and veggies on top. “Do I look different?” she asked, but didn’t look at him. Her cheeks were flushed.

Rafael prayed he said the right thing. “Of course you do. You look like a young lady.”

“I do?” she asked, face hopeful. “Do I look good?”

In that moment, he could see how important this was to her, and he remembered being the runt of elementary school, and again of junior high. Leaning in, he smiled. “You look awesome.”

***

Sonny was lying in bed, reading over a brief when he got a text.

_ RBC: Rollins took her out for bra shopping today. This is who she brought back.  _

There was a photo attached of their daughter, beaming, with tiny breasts in a tee shirt.

_ RBC: I hope it’s okay with you. When you see her, you need to congratulate her, because right now she thinks she’s arrived. _

Sonny chuckled at the photo, feeling the warmth of love and the ache of want in his chest. He allowed himself exactly three minutes to cry, because he still needed to finish the brief. But before he did, he dried his face, picked up his phone, and texted Rafael back.

_ SBC: Of course she’s arrived. She’s our daughter. _


End file.
